Compound bicycle-gear.



No. 660,547. Patented Oct. 23, I900. H. DYER. COMPOUND BICYCLE GEAR.-

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model) Ens. .1

In: News Pz'rzns ca. PHOTO-LUNG WASHINGTON. n. c

Patented Oct. 2 3, I900.

u. DYER. COMPOUND BICYCLE GEAR.

[Application filedbctl 14, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

THE scams PETERS co, PHOTOJJTHQH msnmcmu, o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY DYER, OF ouioAeo, ILLINOIS.

COMPOUND BICYCLE-G EAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,547, dated October"23, 1900.

Application filed October 14:, 1899. Serial No. 733,665. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY DYER, a citizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Compound Bicycle-Gear, of which the followingisia specification The objects of my invention are to provide adriving-gear by which the speed may be controlled, increased, or reducedand by means of a plurality of gear-Wheels which may be operated inconjunction with the driving sprocket-wheel to control or check itsspeed and at the option of the rider to use either or both methods, asthe occasion may require. Its efficacy is more apparent in the ascent ordescentofsteepinclines. Intheascent-itadds to the power of thedriving-shaft and in the descent the rider has a more complete controlof the driving-sprocket to check its speed, if he desires, and thereby abetter command of his wheel.

The device is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure1 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the driving-shaft.Fig. 2 is a view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1, with a portion broken away.Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 2, showinglocking-pin andmeans of ope ation. shifting-bar and attached to the down-tube of theframe.

The letter a represents the driving-shaft.

b is a gear-wheel rigidly secured to shaft a. c is a similar gearengaging with b. d is a smaller gear and secured to the gear 0 on thesame shaft. 6 is a gear-wheel also on the shaft to.

f is the driving sprocket-wheel, secured to the gear 6, and 9 boltssecuring the gear 6 to the driving'sprocket.

his the inner disk.

i is the outer disk and bolted to the disk h, inclosing the abovegear-wheels.

7c is are shafts for the gears c d.

Z is a pin adapted to engage and lock gear 0.

m'is a sleeve on shaft a and integral with or secured to disk 71.

0 is a ring projecting from the face of the disk h. p p are bolts onsaid disk within the ring 0. (One onl shown.) n n are spiral springslaid longitudinally in ring 0, which engage with said bolts 1) 19.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the r r are slots in the under surface of ring0.

s is a pin operated by a rod from the seat.

tie a hole in the ring 0, in which the pin .9 engages.

u is a hole in disk h.

v is the down-tube of the frame. w is a rod extending up said down-tubeto the saddle. w is a plate on the end of said rod which passes throughpin 3. a: is an inclined slot in said plate 10.

y is a spring-catch to hold the rod win its place.

z is a stud transversely through pin 8, which engages in the slot 00.

In the construction of my device I utilize the driving-sprocket, thedriven sprocket, and chain, as in the ordinary safety-bicycle, to whichI add the system of gears on the driving-shaft, in conjunction with thedriving-sprocket. A driving-shaft a carries on the end adjacent thedriving-sprocket f a spur-gear e, and I secure them together'by thebolts ,both wheels loose on the shaft a and provided with ball orantifriction bear ings. The driving-shaft a also carries integrally asecond spur-gearb, adjaceutth'e spur-. gear 6 and adapted to engage withspur-gears c on shaft 7r. A pinion don the shaft is is secured to orintegral with spur-gear cand partakes of its motion. The pinion dengageswith the spur-gear e on the driving-shaft a, and which transmits itsmotion to the drivingsprocket f. A sleeve m within the crankhanger m onthe driving-shaft dis provided at the end adjacent the spur-gear b withan annular flanged extension or projection h, which I have designated asdisk h, which provides the bearings for the inner ends of th e'''Nshafts 7a, which carry the spur-gears c and pinions d. A disk i on theend of the driving-shaft a adjoining the inner side of thedriving-sprocket is secured to the disk h and provides the bearings forthe outer end of the shaft 7c. The edges of the disks are closed, makinga case neatly inclosingthe gears and adapted to revolve on thedriving-shaft a with the sleeve m and driving-sprocket f.

On the inner face of the disk h projects at right angles a ring 0, whichhas a short sliding rotary movement against the face of the disk h. Thering 0 carries internally two spiral springs n, laid horizontally one ateach half segment or pole of the ring, which engage with the posts orbolts 15), set on the face of the inner disk It and within the ring 0,which has an open space underneath to permit a short rotary movement onthe face of the disk. In the face of the ring is a hole 15, and in theunder surface of the ring are slots r. A pin l, having a flat head, isadapted to be normally in engagement with a hole in the spi-ir-gear 0through the slot 1" and a hole in the face of the disk h. Two opposingwedgeshaped members Z are integral with or attached to the inner part ofthe ring 0. one

member at the sides of, the other over, the slot r, which engage thefiat head of the pin Z, which slides up the incline by the movement ofthe ring, withdrawing the pin from the spur-gear c, and returns to itsnormal engagement. when the ring reverses its movement.

On the side of the down-tubev is mounted a rod 20, its upper free endprovided with a handle and is held in its place by means of aspring-catch 1 attached to a collar on the down'tube. The lower end ofthe rod 20 terminates in a flat. blade w, having a slot xdiagonallythrough it. A pin 3 is -mounted horizontally on the lower portion of thedowntube 1; on a plane with the ring 0, having a slot through whichpasses the fiat blade 20', the slot as in the blade engaging with a studinserted transversely through the pin and slots. The movement of the rodto upward causes the pin 3' to move forward into the holes at and u inthe ringo and disk h, respectively, to lock the disks hand 't to thedownt-ube c. When the pin 8 is moved outward, it engages the hole tinthe ring 0, checking its movement, and the spiral springs 12 permit itto yield until the pin 5 engages also in the hole u in the disk h. Thismovement of the ring 0 releases the pin Z from its normal engagementwith the spur-gear 0, locking the disks h and 2' to the down-tube o.This causes the driving-sprocketfto be operated through the interventionof the gears 17, c, d, and a. Releasing the pin .9, the spiral springs arestore the ring 0 to its normal position on the disk h, the pin Z seeksits engagement with the spur-gear c, the gears b, c, d, and care locked,and the disks h and 2' are locked with the driving-sprocket fand revolvewith it as if there were no intervening gears.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a bicycle driving-gear, a drivingshaft, a driving and a drivensprocket-wheel, a sleeve on said driving-shaft, two facing disksintegral with or secured to-the end of said sleeve, two parallel shaftshaving bearings in said facing disks, a spur gear and pinion lockedtogether on each of said shafts, a spur-gear on said driving-shaft andintegral therewith, a spur-gear loose on said drivingshaft adjacent saiddriving-sprocket and secured thereto, said spur-gears on thedrivingshaft adapted to engage the spur gears and pinions on saidparallel shafts, a ring projecting from-the face ofthe inner disk andhaving a limited rotary movement, posts on said 'innerdisk within saidring, spiral springs horizontally in said ring to engage with saidposts, said ring being provided with a hole and said disk having asimilar hole adapted by the movement of said ring to come in line witheach other, a slot at opposite poles in the under surface of said ring,a perforation in said disk under and in line with said slot in saidring, a pin having a flat head in said slot to engage with a hole inthespur-gear on said parallel shafts through said perforation in saiddisk, a wedge-shaped member on the under inner surface of said ring, asimilar opposing wedge-shaped member on the upper inner surface of saidring adapted to engage the flat head of said pin, a down-tube of theframe, a pin mounted horizontally on the lower end of said tube on aplane with said ring adapted to engage in the hole in said ring and diskto lock said disk to the downtube, means for operating said pin from theseat.- of the bicycle, substantially as described.

2. In a bicycle driving-gear the combination with a driving and a drivensprocketwheel, of a driving-shaft, a spur-gear integral with or securedto said driving-shaft, a spur-gear loose on said driving-shaft andlocked with said driving sprocket-wheel, a crank-hanger, a sleeve withinsaid crankhanger on said driving-shaft, two facing disks on the end ofsaid sleeve, two shafts having hearings in said disks parallel with thedriving-shaft, a spur gear and pinion on each of said parallel shafts, aring projecting from the face of one of said disks having a limitedrotary movement, posts on said disk and within said ring, spiral springshorizontally in said ring engaging said posts, slots in the undersurface of said ring, a perforation in said disk underneath said ringand in line with said slots, a pin having a fiat head in said slotsadapted to engage normally in a hole in the spur-gear on the saidparallel shafts through the perforation in said disk,

said ring being provided with a hole and said disk having a similar holeadapted by the movement of said ring to come into alinement, adown-tubeof the frame, a rod mounted vertically on said down-tube provided with ablade at its lower end, a slot diagonally in said blade, a pin mountedhorizontally on ,the lower portion of said down-tube on a plane withsaid ring, a slot in said pin, a stud transversely through said slotadapted to e11- gage the slot in the blade on said rod to move said pinoutward by the upward movement of said rod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY DYER.

Witnesses:

H. C. HUNSBERGER, W. S. SWINEY.

